Dozens of attorneys from around the country representing clients affected by the BP gulf oil spill are in Boise. Here's why the legal journey for BP litigants begins more than 4,000 miles away in Idaho. Samantha Wright reporting.
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A coalition that includes conservation advocates, as well as business leaders and members of the the timber industry is calling for a bold move to designate new wilderness areas in northeast Washington. Steve Jackson reporting.
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A special session of the Washington legislature appears more and more unlikely. That means Governor Chris Gregoire would have to resort to across-the-board cuts to rebalance the state budget. That hasn't happened in Washington in nearly twenty years Austin Jenkins reporting.
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The comeback of the bald eagle is one of the most celebrated success stories of modern conservation. But along the Pacific Northwest coast, the majestic eagles are marauders. Their increasing numbers are putting other bird populations at risk. For now, biologists are not inclined to intervene. The eagles' prey must adapt or die. Tom Banse reporting.
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This summer, NASA is bringing lessons about space and science to Idaho towns with large Hispanic and Native American populations. The Summer of Innovation program aims to encourage kids who don't normally get hands-on science projects to shoot for the moon. Doug Nadvornick reporting.
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People in Hailey, Idaho are closely following the story of two U.S. sailors in Afghanistan. One has been killed, the other has not yet been found. He's been identified as Petty Officer Jarod Newlove of Renton, Washington. Hailey is the hometown of Bowe Bergdahl, the only American known to be held captive by the Taliban. Doug Nadvornick reporting.
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It's the deadliest attack on Washington-based soldiers in nine months. Four members of the 17th Fires Brigade have been killed in southern Afghanistan. And Facebook offers a haunting window into the danger the soldiers faced. Austin Jenkins reporting.
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Sales of big tractors are way up this year, according to a manufacturing industry group. It's a sign the Northwest rural economy is improving. But dealers say some farmers are just trying to upgrade before new federal emissions rules kick in next year. Doug Nadvornick reporting.
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The company behind a major natural gas pipeline to be built in Oregon says it will contribute a total of $22 million to two environmental conservation funds. In return, the two groups that set up the funds say they'll drop their opposition to the project. David Nogueras reporting.
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Washington's citizen initiative process is controlled by well-funded special interests. That's the conclusion of the state's Public Disclosure Commission in a new report out Friday. Austin Jenkins reporting.
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Northwest apple farmers say early indications are it could be a bumper crop this year. They are just about done thinning their fruit trees. And that's giving them a good forecast of what their final crop will be. Anna King reporting.
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It was 100 years ago this summer that a massive fire destroyed millions of acres of forestland in north Idaho and Montana. At least 85 people were killed, and it's believed 3 million acres of forest burned to the ground. If such an event occurred today, how would the Forest Service react? Steve Jackson reporting.
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hey were injured at war and sent home. But [today] Thursday dozens of wounded warriors reunited with their fellow soldiers just back from Afghanistan. It happened at a formal welcome home ceremony for Washington's 5th Stryker Brigade. Austin Jenkins reporting.
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Providence Health Care, which owns Spokane's Sacred Heart Medical Center and other area care facilities, is buying two regional heart care practices. The doctors and staffs of Spokane Cardiology and Heart Clinics Northwest will become employees of Providence's new Spokane Heart Institute. John Vlahovich reporting.
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When it comes to alternative energy, many see the Northwest as the Saudi Arabia of woody biomass. The potential is huge. Trees are everywhere here. But experience has shown that wood-fired power plants tend to pencil out only on a small scale. That's a lesson many rural communities are learning as they explore whether to build their own plants. Doug Nadvornick reporting.
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What if a soldier went off to war, nearly got killed and three years later still couldn't think straight? In 2007, Army Staff Sgt. Richard Kellar was diagnosed with a mild Traumatic Brain Injury after his Stryker vehicle rolled over a thousand pound bomb. Today, Kellar is medically retired from the Army. But he's still crippled by his brain injury. Austin Jenkins reporting.
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When enlistees join the military they know they've got firm plans for the next several years. Whether deployed to Iraq of Afghanistan, danger and order are routine. But what happens to vets just returning from war, when daily duties change from trying to stay alive to trying to readjust to life at home? Amanda Loder reporting.
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Playing varsity sports or joining a fraternity or sorority doesn't hurt your chances to graduate from college on time. Just the opposite, actually. Those extracurricular activities may help according to a new study from Washington State University. Tom Banse reporting.
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Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick is winning praise from Democrats in north Idaho for declining an endorsement from one faction of the Tea Party. The Idaho Democrat has attracted national attention as one of the most conservative members of his caucus. But at home, liberals have had their doubts about him. Doug Nadvornick reporting.
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It looks unlikely that Oregon's gas tax will go up before January. An earlier increase was possible as part of a road construction package lawmakers approved last year. But that only would have happened with a quick economic turnaround. Chris Lehman reporting.
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The US Fish and Wildlife Service Monday announced it will consider federal protection for a pine tree that's struggling to survive in the high country. The whitebark pine would become the first endangered tree species in the Northwest if it is listed. Tom Banse reporting.
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Environmentalists in Idaho and county commissioners in Montana are the latest groups to voice concern over the proposed shipment of oil cargo equipment through both states. Glenn Mosley reporting.
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Supporters of women priests in the Catholic Church say they are undeterred by a newly-toughened stance from the Vatican. Thursday, the church in Rome announced revisions to canon rules and disciplinary procedures. Tom Banse reporting.
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A new federal program is offering financial grants to Spokane County farmers near Hangman Creek willing to help clean up that watershed. Karen Taylor reporting.
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The Washington State Patrol has been asked to investigate allegations of signature fraud on a citizen initiative. A unionized homecare worker is accused of falsifying signatures on at least twenty petition sheets for I-1098. That's a high-earners income tax measure on the November ballot. Austin Jenkins reporting.
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A federal commission concluded two days of hearings that included testimony from Washington Governor Chris Gregoire, Native Americans and environmental watchdogs. The blue ribbon panel has a daunting task: To decide the future of the nation's nuclear waste. Many who spoke urged the federal government to decide soon where that waste will go so that there's a plan to remove it from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Anna King reporting.
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Federal environmental officials say the generation-long cleanup of mining waste in north Idaho is taking a new turn. The Environmental Protection Agency has released a plan it says will focus on polluted areas that it hasn't had the time or the money to get to. Doug Nadvornick reporting.
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Researchers in a federal lab in Richland, Washington are developing a fuel cell that could help power a semi-trucks. The new technology could be in use in the next few years. And that's not the only possible use. Anna King reporting.
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Nearly a dozen members of President Obama's Blue Ribbon Commission toured the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. They toured buildings and sites where Hanford's high-level and most dangerous waste resides. They're also taking two days of testimony. Anna King reporting.
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Six dollars a signature. That's how much the soda pop industry spent to get a tax repeal initiative on Washington's fall ballot. It's just one sign of what's become a high-stakes year for ballot measures. Austin Jenkins reporting.
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Budget woes have states looking at privatization to save money. But a new report says it would actually cost Washington taxpayers more if the state outsourced its email. The lawmaker who commissioned the study says he doesn't buy it. Austin Jenkins㝌 reporting.
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Scientists from Western Washington University have found fossil evidence that "Big Bird" roamed the Northwest 50 million years ago. We're not talking about the friendly yellow bird from Sesame Street, though. Tom Banse reporting.
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